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tradrenn
Feb 8, 2007, 1:48 AM
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I'm planning to go on RT in 2008 and I was just wandering if you guys/gals could tell me more about trad climbing in your state.
What I'm looking for is just a general info about places that one might want to visit while traveling thru USA.
Something like:
Name of USA state:
Name of place that has lots of gear routes:
Other info about the area:
Thanks a bunch.
WR
P.S.
Please NO SPORT CLIMBING, this is trad forum after all. I will probably make a similar thread in sport climbing forum, that's the reason for no SP.
Edited cause I don't seem to know the diff between gays and guys.
(This post was edited by tradrenn on Feb 8, 2007, 2:08 AM)
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localshredder
Feb 8, 2007, 1:51 AM
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Utah
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randomtask
Feb 8, 2007, 1:51 AM
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I live in California...there is no trad climbing here at all. It sucks.
-JR
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quiteatingmysteak
Feb 8, 2007, 1:54 AM
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tradrenn wrote: ...I was just wandering if you gays/gals could tell me more about trad climbing in your state.
well, the Gays certainly will be somewhere around Joshua Tree, california...
if your looking for some gays, go by Nomad Ventures just outside, you can find Ryan and Steven. Those are some great gays and they will show you routes that only the gays get on!
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whatsupdoc
Feb 8, 2007, 1:54 AM
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Check out Cochise Stronghold here in Southern AZ when the weather gets cold elsewhere.
Paradise Forks, Granite Mountain, and Sedona all have good trad climbing. Mount Lemmon here near Tucson has gear and sport routes for ya but is probably better known for the sport stuff.
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salamanizer
Feb 8, 2007, 2:01 AM
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Yosemite (california) of course.
Lovers Leap (Cali) Near Tahoe,
Free camping, multi pitch, classic routes of all grades, easy to find a partner, in the shade/mild weather in the summer. Plus I'm usually there so, a free tour guide if you want.
The Needles (So. Cali) , just balls out bad ass climbing.
...and that is all, for now.
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eviljay
Feb 8, 2007, 2:25 AM
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Colorado
Eldorado Canyon
Rocky Mountain National Park- High Peaks and Lumpy Ridge.
South Platte- Tons of granite cracks.
Black Canyon- Big Walls.
Etc., etc., etc.....
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z_rock90
Feb 8, 2007, 2:32 AM
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Well nothing In indana but the gorge in slade Kentucky is prime for trad or sport, for super classics I would go to fortess wall.
http://www.redriverclimbing.com/RRCGuideV2/show_route.php?id=324
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petsfed
Feb 8, 2007, 2:48 AM
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Wyoming
So there's Vedauwoo, Freemont Canyon, the Wind River Range, the Tetons, some of the Uintas and that's just granite. Also Devils Tower.
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happiegrrrl
Feb 8, 2007, 2:59 AM
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Wojtek - If you are going to be out and running in late April - you should head west for the Southwest SushiFest....Remember nature, from last year? It's going to be grand! Weekend of 4/20. But....if you want in, you need to advise now, so planning can be planned. PM me for details if interested.
I will be heading out that day, looking to hook up and stay maybe a few extra days and climb in the area(unspecified location in Utah), and then head down to Jtree, probably head back to NYC about 5/3.
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moose_droppings
Feb 8, 2007, 3:44 AM
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Hey Wojtek. We got a lot of 2, 3 and a few 4 pitch routes in the hills here. If you want some good exposure, long and sustained routes, I second Black Canyon, but pick me up on your way by. 
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eastvillage
Feb 8, 2007, 11:23 AM
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I assume you might try the Gunks in New Paltz, NY 1.5 hours north of NYC? Obviously a great choice.
www.gunks.com
If you do, then also try climbing in Connecticut. Awesome 1 pitch routes on trap rock, a type of basalt.
The climbing in CT is about an hour from the Gunks, due East.
Here are some links to check out.
http://www.raggedmtn.org Ragged Mtn is the main cliff.
The link below is for another great cliff called East Peak, 20 minutes from Ragged.
Here are a few pics from some of the routes there:
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/connecticut/ragged_mountain__traprock/east_peak/105800461
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/connecticut/ragged_mountain__traprock/105799115
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munky
Feb 8, 2007, 12:50 PM
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You gotta head to North Carolina.
Here you will find:
Ship Rock (NC High Country, near Grandfather Mtn.) - a great summer destination, mostly 2 pitches, great bouldering within a few miles)
Linville Gorge- amazing trad climbing in the mountains. Most routes are between 3 and 4 pitches, some are bigger, some smaller. I would venture to say that this is some of the best trad climbing on the east coast
Looking Glass- (Near Brevard, NC) As close to Yosemite as you can get without being in CA. Check out the North Face and get on classics such as CornFlake Crack and The Glass Menagerie. The Nose, Sundial Crack, and Tits and Beer are also great choices. These routes are between 4 and 8 pitches in length.
Rumbling Bald- more good climbing, great bouldering, scenic views
Whitesides- Cashiers Valley, big hard climbing. Most routes are 7 pitches or bigger, bring a healthy head to climb here
Laurel Knob- never been here yet but here its worth it. Same as Whitesides but bigger and steeper. (I think)
Stone Mtn.- Slabalicious. Old School ground up bolts means runouts of 25-30 feet between bolts. Stick to easy routes at first unless you're a masochist.
You need to buy a copy of the NC Climbers Guide (The Bible) and when you get into the state check out a gear shop to get any additional info.
Man, this post just got me super pysched, re-living my college years at App. State, jonesing to get to NC once this shit weather is over.
Munky
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granite_grrl
Feb 8, 2007, 1:07 PM
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The last place I got to climb before my accident last summer was Devils Tower. Amazing.
When you come over for our climbing/housewarming party Nathan and I can tell you about and show you pics of different places. You can also go through our guide books (I think we have 47 at last count). Someone mentioned Devil's Lake, if you're thinking of it Nathan can tell you all about it (though I don't think he'll recomend it highly).
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breaksnclimbs
Feb 8, 2007, 1:43 PM
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Sick and plentifull. . .
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dr_feelgood
Feb 8, 2007, 1:55 PM
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Texas...
Enchanted Rock.
Not worth the trip from out of state, but if you're coming here against your will, it'll do.
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sevrdhed
Feb 8, 2007, 2:21 PM
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Y'know, I've heard that there's TONS of good trad climbing in Colorado. That's why they all stay here. None of them ever head west to Utah.
Also, right around Las Vegas... killer long classic trad lines. Can't be beat.
California is also awesome. The whole state. It's one big trad route. It's crazy. Bring doubles of your #2.
Whatever you do, don't go to Utah. That place is awful. All they have there is LCC, Moab, Zions, IC, The Swell, Desert Towers, The rest of the Wasatch Range, The Uintas, St. George, and a bevy of secret areas that are so secretive they've only had 1 or 2 writeups in the rags, so I can't tell you about them or where they are.
Yeah, that place sucks.
(This post was edited by sevrdhed on Feb 8, 2007, 2:22 PM)
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shiggetyshiva
Feb 8, 2007, 3:01 PM
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If you're stopping in New England, you will get the most bang for your buck (or loonie) by going to North Conway, New Hampshire. Cathedral Ledge, Whitehorse Ledge, and many other quality granite, multipitch trad areas abound. If you're in Maine, head for Acadia National Park. There's tons of other trad in these two states, but these areas will offer a lot of quality trad climbing all within a relatively small area.
(This post was edited by shiggetyshiva on Feb 8, 2007, 3:01 PM)
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j_ung
Feb 8, 2007, 3:11 PM
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West Virginny. Between Seneca and the New, you'd be picking from thousands of classic lines at all grades. As an added bonus, NC is only a few hours further. It doesn't get much more trad than that. I'd definitely off you a tour and free camping for the New and I might be able to swing a grand loop through NC, as well. Looking Glass... Linville Gorge... Laurel Knob... aaaaannnnnnd... the state is targeting 2008 to open up Hickory Nut Gorge State Park officially, which means Chimney Rock is not out of the question.
All of the following pics are of trad routes or predominantly trad areas.
Seneca:
The New:
The New again:
Ahem... the New... again:
Summersville Lake:
Summersville Lake again:
Linville Gorge:
Linville again:
Looking Glass:
Looking Glass again:
Laurel Knob:
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bdplayer
Feb 8, 2007, 3:39 PM
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North Carolina, ditto to what munky said. Here's a little elucidation.
Ship Rock (NC High Country, near Grandfather Mtn.) - a great summer destination, mostly 2 pitches, great bouldering within a few miles). Considered to have some of the best routes in one place, by some. Can see a lot of traffic on weekends because Appalachian State is close by
Linville Gorge- amazing trad climbing in the mountains. Most routes are between 3 and 4 pitches, some are bigger, some smaller. I would venture to say that this is some of the best trad climbing on the east coast. My personal favorite, because there is no one out here. Shortoff Mountain has some uber-classic lines including the Tilted World section, an incredible overhanging face butted up against a corner. There is a spring coming out of the rock into a small pool right at the climber's gully, about 200-300 yds from the camping area. Worth the hike in. Pretty cold in the winter, but perfect summertime climbing.
Looking Glass- (Near Brevard, NC) As close to Yosemite as you can get without being in CA. Check out the North Face and get on classics such as CornFlake Crack and The Glass Menagerie. The Nose, Sundial Crack, and Tits and Beer are also great choices. These routes are between 4 and 8 pitches in length. If you like crack climbing, then this one of the best collections in NC that I have found. The North face has some pretty decent aid, like the above mentioned Glass Menagerie (I was on it this week), unless you like 5.11c trad. If you do, then no aid for you! The wall is darn impressive, and climbable year round depending which side you are on. The north side is cold in the winter, wonderful in the summer. The south side is sunny and warm in the winter, hot in the summer.
Rumbling Bald- more good climbing, great bouldering, scenic views. Rumbling Bald is one of the easier crags to locate and one of the more (unknowingly) familiar. It's located across from Chimney Rock, made famous in The Last of The Mohicans final fight on the cliff. Rumbling Bald is in the background of that scene. The area is located in a thermotopic clime, meaning that it stays cooler in the summer and milder in the winter than the rest of the surrounding area. It's a site for harder trad climbing, not recommended for taking your noob to the crag. The rock there is very nice though, and it's home to some classic routes.
Whitesides- Cashiers Valley, big hard climbing. Most routes are 7 pitches or bigger, bring a healthy head to climb here Healthy head is being nice. Runout, thin pro, very fun. Its located very near to Laurel Knob, so you could do both sites in the same weekend. They are both large enough that it would take a day per though. It can be pretty darn cold in the winter, but it catches a lot of sun, so climbing while on the wall isn't too bad. Summertime can get warm though.
Laurel Knob- never been here yet but here its worth it. Same as Whitesides but bigger and steeper. (I think) Laurel Knob has the distinction of being THE biggest cliff on the east coast. It was the subject of the big hulabaloo last year when it was purchased by the CCC and opened to publinc climbing at last. 1200 feet of face, starting at 5.8 and going up. Runout, water groove, funky climbing, it's a paradise. It can be very wet though, so you would want to contact local climbers or keep a really close eye on the weather if you are going to give it a shot. The hike in is about the longest I've seen yet, and camping isn't allowed at the crag (ahem- we mean it). But it's a hell of a crag.
Stone Mtn.- Slabalicious. Old School ground up bolts means runouts of 25-30 feet between bolts. Stick to easy routes at first unless you're a masochist. If it's hella cold out, Stone Mountain is the place to go. This place sucks up and spits out serious heat. Great place to fry an egg on the rock come summertime though. Stone is the subject of a lot of debate between the slab/non-slab camps. If you're a slab lover, you've got to go, if you hate it, don't bother. Camping can be problematic on the weekends unless you go off the park or get there super early.
Hope this helps-
Ben
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markc
Feb 8, 2007, 3:52 PM
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"Tell me of your home world, Usul."
Sorry, I couldn't resist. Not much to tell in my state, but I have some thoughts for an east coast leg of the trip. I made a trip to the Adirondacks a few years back, climbing primarily at Chapel Pond. It was a great introduction to slab climbing. Beautiful place. From there, it wouldn't be tough to make the Gunks your next stop.
As Jay said, the New and Seneca can keep you busy for a while. The New has an abundance of single-pitch sport and traditional routes. Seneca has great multipitch traditional routes of all grades. It isn't hella tall, but you can do link-ups to make some six-pitchers. I have a soft spot for Seneca, as it's where I was introduced to traditional climbing.
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norskagent
Feb 8, 2007, 3:56 PM
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Also in N.C....Moore's Wall
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norskagent
Feb 8, 2007, 4:04 PM
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more moore's...
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chalker7
Feb 8, 2007, 4:22 PM
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HEY!!!!! Come on down the the awesome state of Pennsylvania, and then promptly leave to head somewhere that actually has climbing, like say West Virginia or North Carolina. Or go to the Gunks and you wont even have to set foot in PA. Have fun.
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